Furniture spring suspension



Jan. 28, 1936. E $H 2,029,182

' FURNITURE SPRING SUSPENSION Filed Nov. 5, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmuwox M a MA BY F @73 1 0* mean ATTORNEYS Jan. 28, 1936. c c E T 2,029,182

FURNITURE SPRING SUSPENSION Filed NOV. 5, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY-S Jan. 28, 1936- c. c. MEUTSCH FURNITURE SPRING SUSPENSION 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 5, 1952 INVENTOR M 0. ML BY fff om/ 2) ATTORNEYS Q "7 WI w Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNlTED STATES/7 PATENT A OFFICE.

2,029,182 r'uani'runa srnme snsransron Charles 0. Meutsch, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application November 5, 1932, Serial No. 641,389 1 cafln. (or. 155-119) This invention relates to a spring suspension for chairs, davenports, etc., and more particution of same in practice. As here shown, and referring for the present to only Figs. 1-4, the same larly relates to a spring suspension in which reis constructed as follows:

silience is obtained principally by the use of band iron springs. rather than the usual hour-glass,

helical, cushion springs with their concomitantand complicated network of tie cords.

The principal object of the invention is to p vide an inexpensive and easily installed spring suspension which provides a spring action in all respects equivalent to such a cushion spring construction,not only as to thedesired localized flexure consequent upon localized pressures but also as. to'the prevention of excessive vertical 5 movement anddisagreeable side sway of the spring suspension as a whole. Numerous other objects of the invention and practical solutions thereof are disclosed in detail in the herein patentspecification, wherein:

In the accompanying drawings:v Fig. 1 is a top plan of a chair provided with my improved spring suspension, some parts being in section and other parts being broken away.

N Fig'. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal section there-.

of, taken on line 2--2, Fig. 1'. Fig. 3 is a vertical, transverse section thereof. taken on line 3-+3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical, longitudinal section, taken on line 4-4, Fig. 1.; U

Fig. 5 is a vertical, longitudinal section similar, ,to Fig; 2 but showing a modified form of themvention. f Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, longitudinal section showing a modified method of hinging the main springs to the main frame. 7 is an enlarged perspective of one of the extension spring clips of Figs. 1-5 prior to its ,being assembled.

Fig. ,8 is a vertical, longitudinal section through 40 a chair/provided with another modified form of the invention. k

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, horizontal section thereof, taken on line 9*3, Flg. 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective 45 of the wooden edge piece of Figs. 8 and 9 showing its connection with one of the extension spri s; I Similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings: 50 My invention may be embodied in various forms and in furniture'sprlng suspensions of various constructions, and the'present applications are n therefore to be regardedmerely as some of the organizations which come within the scope of my I 65 invention and satisfactorily can! ou func- -or more sheet metalstraps 28, the forward end tension springs 32 are provided at their front ends The invention is here shown as applied to an the horizontal, transverse, front, frame beam 24 and extending integrally upward to form the front pillars 25, 25;--and the horizontal, longitudinal, side frame beams 28, 28 which connect the front and rear sets of legs.

Resting at its opposite ends upon said side frame beams 26, 26 is a horizontal, transverse draw bar 21 which .is held rearwardly against the front faces of the rear pillars 22, 22 by one 20 of each of which is curled around said draw bar 21 and the rear end of each-of which is bent sharply down against the rear face of the rear beam 2! and is secured in place by a nail 30,- a plurality of perforated holes 3| being formed in said strap 28 to compensate for different widths of pillars 22 and to allow said nail 30 to be driven through the soundest available portion of said rear beam 2|.

Extending forwardly of said draw bar 2'! are a 30,

plurality of substantially horizontal, helical, tension springs 32 the rear ends of which are provided with suitable curled portions or eyes which receive said draw bar 21. The front ends of said with similar curled portions or eyes ,which receive. a pivot bar 33. The front curled end of each of said tension springs 32' also passes through a hole 34 formed in the rear end of a companion, arcuate main spring 35,--the same being supported at its rear end upon aforesaid pivot bar 33 and retained in place by the front curled end of itscompanion tension spring 32 which passes through said hole- 34 of said, main spring 35 and encircles said pivot bar33. j" v Each main spring 35 is of arcuate form and is constructed of rolled steel of rectangular cross section and having a sufficiently high'carbon content (preferably heat treated) as to be very resilient without permitting fiber stresses beyond the elastic limit of the metal. The front ends of these main springs (see Fig. 2) are resiliently connected to the main frame of the chair in a manner similar to the-rear connectionthereof, i. e., the front end of each main spring 35 rests upon a front ivot bar 3311 and is held in place thereon by the rear curled end of a companion tension spring 33a whose front curled endreceives a front draw bar 21a held in place by one or more straps 28a and nails 30a.

Soas to keep the rear ends of the main springs in proper lateral position relatively to each other, the same are all secured together =Iby rivets 36 or otherwise) to a tie strip 31, the extreme projecting ends of which aresmocthiy curled downward so as to avoid any sharp edges and also to-prevent any possibility of lacereting the usual fabric covered padding (see'Fig. 3) which is placed on top of the me p 1 spring suspension.

Secured by a rivet 40 to the forward portion of each main spring 35 isa forwardly projecting extension spring 4|, the rear end of the same being either provided with a plurality of holes 42 for the reception of said rivet 40, or otherwise arranged to permit of having said extension spring project any desired distance forwardly to suit the particular size of the main frame in which 'the spring suspension is being installed. The.

front ends of the several extension springs 4! are connected together by a wire e e piece 43. each extension spring being indivi ly secured thereto by a U shaped, sheet metalretainer 44 and rivet 45. This edge piece preventsexcessive undulations along the front edge of the spring suspension after the padding has been placed in position. To further prevent such excessive undulations, said wire edge piece 43 is bent sharply rearwardly at its opposite ends at 46 and then bent horizontally inward to form the suppleportion 50, which bears against the lower face of mentai edge piece 41. The latter is secured to the several extension springs 4t by sheet metal clips 48 (see Figs. '7, 2, and 1).

Each of said clips has a lower, flat, central body its companion extension spring 4|, and is also provided with a pair of ears 5! which extend upwardiy on opposite sides of said companion'extension spring 4| and are bent or curled around the top of the adjacent part of the supplemental edge piece". To avoid any metallic noises re-* sulting from metal-to' metal csntacts, a plurality of rectangular pieces of felt or othersound deadening-material 52 are interposed between the bottom of said supplemental edge piecel and the flat, adjacent top faces of the extension springs 4i. A similar snd longerstrip of felt 53 ,is also placed between the lower faceof, each supplemental spring 4| and the upper face of the body portion NED of its companion clip 48. This panion retainer 44, and is held in place by aforestrip of felt it extends, forwardly and is received between the frent, lower'face of its companion ex-. tension spring 4l and the lower lip'of its cornsaid rivet 45, theshank of which'passes through a suitable hole formed in the front end of said felt strip 53. It is to be noted that this felt strip 53 also prevents-any metallic; noisy contact between thebottom of its companion extension spring 4|.(when the same is depressed) and its companion front tension spring-32a and strap Rawhich are located immediately below. 1 a 0 put an initial tension on the extension springs 4| and, to some extent also, on the main springs 35, one or .more chains or other -ten-' sion members 54 are provided, each'of which is connected at its upper end with e ,wire edge piece v and is secured at its low 1 end by a nail 55 to e upper face=oi the fro-n frame beam 24.- By the use of these tension members 54'the'edge piece 431s prevented from raising up velysevered from the. useful portion of said flexible high when the chair is not in use. In other words, the use of the tension members 54 ensines that the front portion of the cushion will only commence to flex downwardly after a certain minimum amount of pressure is applied to its upper surface. This in no way detracts from the resiliency of the spring suspension. but only prevents it from raising up to extreme upward positions in which positions its resilient strength is so slight as to be negligible. These tension members 54 also prevent slackness from occurring at any time in the connections between the-main springs 35and the main frame, and hence prevent any noisy rattling of the parts when the pressures on the spring suspension are changed.

To prevent disagreeable and ineflicient side sway, of the whole spring suspension relatively to the main frame, a pair of limiting chains or similar lateral, flexible members 56 are provided.

Each of these flexible, lateral members 56 is se-. 20

- cured at its upper end by a rivet 51 to the central portion of one of the endmost main springs 35a and extends laterally and outwardly down to the upper face of the adjacent side frame beam 'posed load by companion main springs 35 located on only the one side of said endmost main springs 35a, whereas all of the central main springs 35 are aidedon both sides .by adjacent companion main springs 35. It is therefore evident that the endmost main springs 35a should have a greater, independent, resilient strength than the rest of the main springs 35. This is accomplished in the present invention without necessitating specially constructed, end, main springs for this purpose. As shown in Fig. 4, a stiffening, helical spring 60 is interposed between the ends of each of the endmost main springs 35a, the same being connected thereto by suitable chains or other flexible members 6|. The amount of tension exerted by each of said stiflening springs 60 may be adjusted so as to best fulfill the particular requirements desire-d, by passing either of the eyes of said stiffening spring throughany desired one of the in its companion flexible member 6|; After such atension adjustment has been -made it is preferred that any superfluous links which may be danglingat'the end r said flexiblemember be member, as otherwise such-superfluous dangling links are apt to cause a certain amount of 'noise The present invention is also applicable to the spring suspension of love seats", jda venports,

couches, etc. Where the length of such piecesof furniture are not very great, the spring suspension may b constructed substantially like that Just described. Where, however, the piece of furniture is of considerable length, as in a daven; port, it is preferred to have a plurality of sets of mhin springs ofthe type shown in Fig. 1, each sethaving. its individual. tie strip 31, its individual edge piece 3, etc.

is secured by a rivet 63 to the front end of its' companion main spring 35l, while the front leaf of said hinge lies upon the horizontal, upper sur- Cal face of the front frame beam 2 and is bent sharply downward against the front face of said beam and is secured in place by a nail 64. The strains upon this hinge 62 are chiefly vertical, by reason of the fact that, as the main springs 35| are flexed, the rear ends thereof are free to move rearwardly as well as downwardly.

Where a piece of furniture is used very roughly, the loads imposed on the spring suspension may contain horizontal as well as vertical components. To positively ensure that such horizontal components will not loosen the hinged con-- nection between the main springs and the main frame, the construction of Fig. 6 may, if desired, be adopted. In this case the rear leaf of the hinge 622 is secured to the front end of its companion main spring 352 just as in Fig. 5. The front leaf of said, hinge 622 is, however, somewhat different, extending upwardly from the hinge pivot so as to lie against the inner, vertical face of the front, frame beam 242, and being then bent sharply and horizontally forward so as to lie on the top face of said beam, and then bent sharply downward so as to lie against the front vertical face of said beam where it is secured by a nail 642..

Such a hinge construction is capable of sustaining heavy, horizontal, forward load thrusts as well as the ordinary vertical load pressures.

Figs. 8-10 illustrate a very inexpensive and very satisfactory commercial form of the invention. In this construction the main springs 353, rear tension springs 323, extension springs 4I3,

etc. are arranged substantially as in Fig. 5. The

particular proportions of the main frame being equipped) and then screwed to the extension springs M3 in this particular position.

In applying the padding, etc. to this form of the invention, the base fabric 66 is first laid over the wooden edge piece 433 which latter is at this time lying on a suitable bench jig or fixture. The front fabric 61 and cover 68 are then blind tacked with the tacks 10 to the rear, upper, bevelled face of said wooden, edge piece 433. The front portion of the base fabric 66 is then tacked by tacks H to the vertical front rabbeted face of said edge piece 433. Said wooden edge piece is now laid with its several fabrics on the extension springs M3 and is secured in proper position by means of the wood screws 65, after which the rear part of the base fabric 66 is tacked to the rear frame beam 213 by tacks 12. The main padding [3 and front padding 14 are now laid evenly over the base fabric 86 and the rear part of the cover 68 tacked to the rear frame beam 2| 3 by tacks 15. The front part of the front fabric 61 is now blind tacked at 16 to the front face of the edge piece 433 together with the face fabric 11. The whole spring suspension is now pressed down and the depending front portion of the base fabric 66 tacked to the front frame beam 243 with tacks 18, thereby putting'a tensile strain in this portion of the base fabric 66 and constituting thereof a tension member 543 which functions similarly to the tension member 54 of Figs. 2 and 4. The lower portion of the depending face fabric 11 is now tacked to the bottom of the front frame beam 243 by tacks 80. It is to be understood, of course, that the foregoing padding arrangement is one of relatively simple form, and that, in usua1 practice, a considerably more elaborate arrangement of padding and fabric is employed.

Attention is directed to Fig. 9 which shows that by this use of a wooden'edge piece 433, the two fabrics lying upon said edge piece 433 (namely base fabric 66 and front fabric 61) may be folded around the ends of said edge piece and tacked in place by tacks 8| so as to enable said fabrics to be disposed in close juxtaposition to the inside faces of the two front pillars 253. This makes a neat and'attractive construction at this point. After said tacks 8! have been driven into place, the face fabric 11 is bent (not folded) around the end face of said edge piece 433 and is tacked thereto, so that when said face fabric 11 is thus in final position, it lies in place flat and unwrinkled (except, of course, for the horizontal wrinkles which occur temporarily when the whole spring suspension is depressed).

I claim as my invention:

A furniture spring suspension comprising a frame; a plurality of main springs each of which is connected at one end with said frame; a pivot bar connecting the other ends of said main springs; a draw bar connected tosaid frame and a resilient connection between said pivot bar and said draw bar.

CHARLES C. MEUTSCH. 

